Brazilian club Santos are in negotiations to bring Neymar back following the mutual termination of his contract with Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal.
The 32-year-old, who holds the record as Brazil’s all-time top scorer, is expected to sign a short-term deal with Santos, the club where he launched his professional career.
Sources close to Neymar described the termination of his Al-Hilal contract as a significant step forward.
This decision marks the end of an injury-plagued stint in Saudi Arabia, where Neymar managed just seven appearances after joining the club in a £77.6 million transfer in August 2023.
This season, the forward has made only two appearances, with his most recent outing coming as a substitute in November.
Al Hilal said: “The club expresses its thanks and appreciation to Neymar for what he has provided at Al-Hilal, and wish the player success in his career.”
Major League Soccer (MLS) club Chicago Fire also attempted to bring Neymar to the United States but he turned them down in favour of returning to Santos.
Fire had Neymar on their ‘discovery list’, meaning they were the only MLS team able to negotiate with him in the US.
Inter Miami had also been linked with Neymar, potentially reuniting him with former Barcelona teammates Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez.
Neymar remains the world’s most expensive footballer, following his £200 million transfer to Paris Saint-Germain in 2017.
The 32-year-old had approximately seven months remaining on his two-year contract with Al-Hilal, where he reportedly earned £129 million annually.
He joined the Saudi club with the ambition of “writing new sporting history” but endured a challenging spell, including a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) sustained during Brazil’s World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in October 2023.
After returning to action briefly in October last year, Neymar hinted at a hamstring issue in his second match back but has not played since.
Neymar began his professional journey at Santos, where he emerged from their renowned youth academy, scoring 136 goals in 225 appearances.
This success led to his high-profile move to Barcelona in 2013. Over four seasons in Spain, Neymar made 186 appearances, winning two La Liga titles, the Champions League, and the Club World Cup, before his record-breaking transfer to PSG at age 25.
In Paris, Neymar added five league titles to his name before moving to Saudi Arabia.
Shortly after the switch, he surpassed Pele to become Brazil’s all-time leading male goalscorer with 78 goals. However, Neymar has not featured for the national team since his initial knee injury in 2023.